McCain to New York Times: Bring it on ...

02.21.08 -- 5:47 AM

By Zim Sidney

If this is not an irony then we don't know what one is. A couple of weeks ago the New York Times endorsed GOP presidential candidate Senator John McCain. But just after the Arizona senator all but clinched the Republican nomination, the Times has now unleashed what McCain describes as a "smear" campaign against him. And the maverick politician who is also at odds with the conservative base of his party, apparently has vowed to go mano-a-mano with New York Times.

And it all has to do with a bimbo ... sorry we meant to say, a female lobbyist who ....

John McCain’s campaign promised to “go to war” against the New York Times Wednesday night after the newspaper posted its long-awaited story on McCain's alleged relationship with a telecom lobbyist. Both McCain and the woman in question denied having a romantic relationship.

The story, word of which first leaked to the Drudge Report in December, relies on anonymous sources tied to McCain who said the lobbyist was warned to keep her distance to the senator in the run-up to his first presidential bid.

In the piece, McCain is quoted as telling Times Editor Bill Keller that he never did anything unethical. Top McCain advisers, including his former Senate chief of staff Mark Salter, also say on the record that there was nothing inappropriate done legislatively.

McCain told reporters Wednesday night when asked about the story: "I haven't seen it yet, so I can't comment."

But campaign aides had read it and spared no time in blasting the newspaper.

"It is a shame that the New York Times has lowered its standards to engage in a hit and run smear campaign," said communications director Jill Hazelbaker, in a prepared statement sent about an hour after the Times posted their story online. "John McCain has a 24-year record of serving our country with honor and integrity. He has never violated the public trust, never done favors for special interests or lobbyists, and he will not allow a smear campaign to distract from the issues at stake in this election.

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